New York, USA, — The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) and the United Nations Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) signed an agreement establishing a framework for their cooperation.

The agreement was signed by Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, UNICRI Director, and Atefah Riazi, Chief Information Technology Officer and Assistant Secretary-General, OICT, during a high-level event at the United Nations Headquarters in New York examining the role of artificial intelligence and robotics in preventing and countering crime and terrorism, and strengthening security.

The agreement recognizes the great potential that the combination of emerging technologies such as digital technologies, information systems, standards and devices, and digital content has in promoting progress in the social, economic and cultural aspects of humankind, reducing inequality and allowing for the democratization of technology tools.

Under this framework, UNICRI and OICT will bring their respective knowledge and expertise from the crime prevention, rule of law and security domain and the information and communication technologies domain, to cooperate in using technological innovation and data to strengthen and implement improved policies and tools for crime prevention and criminal justice.

"The advances of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including those brought on by a combination of computing power, robotics, big data and artificial intelligence, are generating revolutions in health care, transport and manufacturing.
I am convinced that these new capacities can help us to lift millions of people out of poverty, achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and enable developing countries to leap‑frog into a better future."